


Never Sunrise, Always Sunset

by iputthecryincrystal



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: AU, Schitt's Creek AU, Schitt's Creek Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:15:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24827422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iputthecryincrystal/pseuds/iputthecryincrystal
Summary: Schitt's Creek AU: Moira and Johnny never become a couple.Moira marries her Sunrise Bay co-star Clifton Sparks
Relationships: Johnny Rose/Moira Rose, Moira Rose/Clifton Sparks
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. Bigwigs in Big Suits

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first Schitt's Creek fanfic ^_^ I've been sitting on this idea for a few months now and I'd like to share it; I try to plan everything advance - and I *kind of* know how the story will end - but please excuse me if I get a detail or timeline incorrect (this is an AU so perhaps you all can forgive me for any inconsistencies between this piece of work and the show)
> 
> Feedback/constructive criticism is definitely welcomed; and I'd especially like tips on how to write Moira's dialogue because jeepers she has one heck of a funky vocabulary!

“So, what say you and I head back to my place?” A suave, young man by the name John asked the pretty girl beside him. The girl – Moira Callahan – pretended to ponder on the offer. But she had her mind set on who she wanted to leave that  smoky bar with. For most of the night she had been eyeing another man, but had pulled John into some dark corner because she had felt too nervous to even approach that tall, dark, and extremely handsome stranger. Which was a  foreign feeling for Moira. 

“As generous as your offer is, I’m going to have to politely decline, Mr Mellencamp.” 

John Cougar Mellencamp nodded once, “Well, can I at least buy you another drink?”

Moira did not hesitate to accept him on that.

After a few more drinks, Mr Mellencamp set off back to his hotel room. Though, not without a kiss from Moira. Once JCM was out of the picture; it was Callahan’s chance to strike. She didn’t figure that the man buying everyone drinks was going to stay forever. Before Moira got up, she questioned a man sitting at the table beside her, “who’s the eyebrows buying the drinks?”

The man swallowed a mouthful of whatever alcoholic beverage he was consuming before replying, “Uhm... He came in with some suits, he’s dressed fancy himself. I reckon he’s a bigwig businessman.” The man glanced over at a woman at the bar, then back at Moira, “My girl might be able to answer  ya .” The man spoke with a harsh Birmingham accent. 

Once ‘his girl’ came back with the next round of drinks, she gave Moira the answer she was looking for, “He’s called Johnny Rose. He owns Rose Video. Lovely  lookin ’ bloke, isn’t he? I hear he’s in for some good money, too.  Me dad says Rose Video is going to be _big!_ And he should know, he used to own his own business, he did.” She, too, spoke with a Birmingham accent. Moira thanked them and made her way towards Johnny Rose; owner of Rose Video.


	2. Like a Rose

After initially being too uneasy to approach Johnny Rose – and when she did, she didn’t even get to use her signature move to pick up men, because Mr Rose had seen her walking towards him – Moira and the businessman had successfully struck up a conversation which lasted through the night and into the wee hours of the morning. 

Having left the bar at God only knows what time, the two found themselves wandering the quiet street; strolling side by side. 

“What’s your favourite colour?” Johnny had been asking Moira questions like these all night; ‘what’s your favourite food?’, ‘who’s your favourite character on Cheers?’, ‘do you prefer tea or coffee?’, stuff like that. Very harmless and run-of-the-mill questions that Moira didn’t mind giving answers to (though, she didn’t watch Cheers so that had to be skipped over). 

“Black.” Moira replied, “and what so happens to be the colour you’re most fond of?” 

“Blue... Or green... Or red.” Johnny stared off into the distance; appearing to have thought about the question deeply. 

“Red, like a rose.” 

Johnny smiled genuinely, “Yeah, like a rose.” 

Moira was enamoured with his John’s smile. 

Hours passed before either of them realised how far they had just walked. Out of the two, Moira was most familiar with the area; but even she was unsure of where they had ended up. Johnny suggested that they find the nearest payphone and call for a cab; they did just that. To be closer to Johnny, Moira feigned being frightened of muggers or murderers attacking them, so she wrapped her hands around his bicep. Johnny moved his arm away, stating that if anything did in fact happen – which he didn’t think would – he'd be there to protect her. 

Shortly after, they came across a payphone. A taxi was called. Moira’s stop was the closest. When she got out, Johnny did too. Moira grinned to herself – thinking that she was going to spend the night with this gorgeous man. 

“Moira,” Johnny began, “I enjoyed myself tonight. I hope that we can meet up again soon. Maybe we could go out for lunch?” 

To Moira, this sounded like he was calling it a night. She wasn’t used to men not following her up to her apartment, “John, I had a splendid night myself. Don’t you want to come in for... coffee?” Moira spoke in a seductive manner. 

Catching on to Moira’s offer, Johnny declined with a light-hearted, but awkward-sounding chuckle, “Moira, I have a girlfriend.” 

Moira’s face dropped. She suddenly felt her eyes burning, “Oh.” 

“I’m sorry if I led you on with anything I did or said tonight, Moira. That wasn’t my intention.” John could see that the small blonde lady was upset, “I’d still like it if we could be friends. Like I said, I’d love to get lunch with you sometime.” 

Moira nodded. She couldn’t get any words out. Even if she could, she was uncertain if she wanted to. 

“Don’t worry about the cab fare. I’ll handle it.” Johnny went in for a hug; although by that time Moira was facing the building, punching in the passcode to unlock the door. 

“Goodnight, Moira.” 

Moira turned back before retreating into the apartment complex, “Goodnight, Mr Rose.”


	3. What the Future Holds...

Johnny and Moira did indeed have lunch a week after they initially met. John had taken note of Moira’s address and had buzzed every apartment room until he found the right one. When Moira came down to meet him, she was greeted with a wonderful sight; a smiling Johnny Rose, holding a bouquet of roses. His only request was that they forget how the night they met ended; Moira was more than fine with that.

Over the next five years, Moira and Johnny became close friends. They enjoyed each other’s company and would make time to have lunch twice every month. However, as the years progressed, it became more difficult to spend time with one another. Johnny had his  flourishing business, and Moira had a budding acting career. They both were consumed with their work; and soon, their bi-monthly lunches were cut to once a month, then once every other month, then once every two months. 

It was around the ladder half of those five years when Moira was met with the news that Johnny was getting married. She’ll always remember that afternoon when she was supposed to have lunch with John; just the two of them, like always. John showed up with the soon-to-be Mrs Rose. Her name was Miranda. Moira thought she seemed nice enough. But she felt an anger towards her; like she wanted to slap her across the face. 

“You can bring a plus-one, if you’d like,” Miranda told Moira, “It’s going to be a big wedding. But we’ll of course accommodate for you and anyone you might want to bring; since you and Johnny are such good friends.” 

To Moira, the word ‘friends’ felt like a stab to the stomach. Like Miranda was bragging that she was getting married to John. Rubbing it in Moira’s face, and relishing every moment of it. Moira grinned and thanked them. 

The following year was a fruitful and exciting one for Johnny and Moira both. Johnny and Miranda tied the knot (Moira went to their wedding, unattended), Rose Video was climbing the ranks of ‘Most Successful Business’ of the year; and Moira began acting on Sunrise Bay. Things appeared to be going swimmingly, and the two friends were thrilled to see what the future held for them.


	4. The Double Date

Moira’s part as Vivian Blake on the soap opera Sunrise Bay had given her a boost of fame. Vivian’s plot and screen time was still limited; and most of Moira’s time was spent behind the scenes, watching others perform. About six months after the show had been picked up; the cast and crew were all friendly with each other. Moira especially liked conversing with one man in particular: Clifton Sparks. She considered him to be the most handsome man on set. He was the only one who could provide Moira with an intellectual conversation; she liked that. It was a pleasant change from talking about the latest clothes, or the hottest clubs with her other co-workers – it wasn’t like she could buy any of the clothes or gain entry into any of the places that they were mindlessly chatting about anyway. She didn’t have the money, or the celebrity status for those things. Unlike most of the other actors and actresses on set, Moira was pretty unknown to the general public. She had been in movies and made appearances in TV shows before Sunrise Bay; but it was the aforementioned show that really put her on the map. 

As Sunrise Bay continued to gain traction, Moira and Clifton became a couple. Everyone could see that Moira was completely head over heels for Clifton. He was her whole world. Anytime anybody saw Moira, she was attached to Clifton like they were conjoined at the hip. Vivian Blake started to appear much more in Sunrise Bay, and she had more scenes with Clifton’s character. 

There was a noticeable change in Moira’s behaviour and attitude ever since she began dating Clifton; the first person who was aware of this was Johnny. He first picked up on her odd deportment when he had a double date with Moira and her beau. 

“I didn’t expect for him to actually show up!” Miranda laughed; finishing some uninteresting story from her life. 

“Isn’t she just the funniest?” Johnny chuckled. 

“Quite.” Clifton took a sip of his drink. Moira kept silent. She hadn’t spoken more than a few words all evening. 

“Okay, okay, I must apologize. I’ve barely let any of you say anything all night!” Miranda laughed again, “Clifton, Moira. I’m sure you have some fun stories from working on Sunrise Bay.” 

“It’s a serious show.” Clifton replied with a straight face. 

“Well, I’m sure you have some interesting stories you’d like to share from behind the scenes, or from one of those wild parties I know you both like to frequent,” Miranda moved her hands a lot as she talked, “The press doesn’t shy away from publicising any and all things that happen; you know what I’m talking about Moira.” She winked at the woman sitting opposite her; referring to the time when Moira drunkenly tripped – she was wearing a very short dress – and the paparazzi easily snapped more than a few photos of her underwear. Before anyone could answer, Miranda began speaking again, “Or perhaps you’d like to spill some little, teeny tiny spoilers from the show. I’m not fond of the show, myself. But I know Johnny likes to frequent the Bay.” She patted John’s arm. 

“We’re not involved in the writing process. We find out what happens when we get the next script.” Clifton didn’t humour Miranda. He finished his drink, then left to get another. Johnny glanced over at Moira; she was staring at the floor with an expressionless look on her face. 

“Are you feeling alright, Moira?” He inquired. She nodded without saying anything. When Clifton returned, he set another drink in front of Moira. This trend continued throughout the night, and by the time the two couples departed, Moira was clinging onto Clifton for stability – and Clifton was clinging to the walls. 

On Moira’s 25th birthday, Clifton took her out for dinner. They had a wonderful evening, and as soon as they were about to leave, Clifton got down on one knee. 

“Yes!” Moira screamed, almost before Clifton could get his words out. He slipped a huge diamond ring onto his fiancée's finger. 

“I’ve got to call John and tell him the good news.” Moira beamed, walking towards a payphone outside the restaurant. 

“No.” Clifton grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to him, “It can wait ‘til tomorrow.” 

“Oh... Okay,” Moira smiled up at him, “I suppose you’re right.” 


	5. Stressed? Take a few Vicodin.

It wasn’t long before Moira and Clifton were married. Sunrise Bay’s executive producer, Tippy Bernstein, figured that their marriage would be a good way to publicise the show’s third season. Moira and Clifton’s relationship had been a hallmark of the show for a while now; the public couldn’t get enough of the pair, and that leaked into the show as well. Many fans requested that Moira and Clifton’s characters got together; it never happened though. They teased it, but nothing ever came of it. All of the Sunrise Bay cast, directors, producers, and executive producers were at the wedding. Everything was controlled by the most in-demand wedding planners. Tippy made it a widely promulgated affair; with paparazzi and journalists from all over the country attending. 

The months leading up to the wedding were hectic to say the very least. Moira and Clifton were bombarded by the press and Sunrise Bay superfans, being questioned about the wedding and the show (some fans even yelled out extremely personal, tasteless questions). They were given more screen time to satiate fans, they had more interviews to do, and they had to choose their wedding clothes and go food and wine tasting. The latter didn’t help Clifton and his growing alcohol addiction. It wasn’t long before either one of them would breakdown. 

One day while shooting the Sunrise Bay season two penultimate episode, Moira burst out crying. She ran off set. 

“Moira!” Yelled the director with his hands in the air, “Jesus Christ, would somebody go get her!” 

They found her in the bathroom, she had locked herself in a cubicle. Tippy and his assistant had followed Moira; it was his assistant, Lana, who went into the bathroom. 

“Moira, are you alright, hon?” Lana knocked on the cubicle door. She could hear Moira gently sobbing. 

“Yeah.” Moira replied quickly. 

“Moira I’m gonna need you to come out,” Tippy called from outside the lady’s bathroom, “Time is money, sweetheart. We need you to finish your scene.” 

Moira gave no response; but she did come out and – after getting her make up touched up – she completed her scene. As she made her way back to her dressing room, she was approached by Lana. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked. 

Moira nodded, “I’m just stressed, I suppose. What with the longer work hours, the upcoming nuptial, et cetera.” 

“Yeah I understand,” Lana reached into her handbag, she pulled out a little bottle and handed it to Moira, “Anytime you get stressy or feel sad, take a couple of these babies. They always work.” 

Moira read the label, ‘Vicodin’, “Okay. Thanks.” Moira gave Lana an unsure smile. 

“Don’t worry, Moira. Everything’ll be fine.” Lana patted Moira’s shoulder. 


	6. Married Life

A week after they got married, the newlyweds went back to work. Their so-called ‘honeymoon’ did not go how Moira was expecting.

“Would you hurry the hell up Moira, the taxi’s gonna leave without us!” Clifton yelled from other side of the bathroom door. 

“If you hadn’t taken so damn long in the shower, we would have been out of here by now!” Moira screamed. She unscrewed the cap of the bottle Lana had given to her; she shook out the three remaining Vicodin, “dammit.” She whispered to herself; swallowing the pills alongside a mouthful of champagne. It seemed like everywhere Moira went, alcohol followed her. Moira opened the door, Clifton stood right in front of her. They glared at each other for a second before he moved to let her out; but before she could pass by him, he gripped her arm and scowled, “Don’t talk back to me ever again.” Moira could smell the strong stench of alcohol from his breath. 

The tension in the air hadn’t settled until they arrived at their new home; one that Tippy had bought them as a wedding gift. It was more than modest, with four bedrooms and a pool in the back. Moira had pretended to be nonchalant about the whole situation; however, in truth, Clifton’s behaviour had scared her. She was used to him being easily angered when he was drunk. Like the time when they were getting ready to go on their double date with the Rose’s, Moira had suggested that maybe he should wait until they arrived at the venue to start drinking. He accused her of calling him a drunk, and when she defended herself, he yanked at her hair and shoved her into the wall. 

“Clifton?” Moira said softly, standing outside their bedroom. 

“Yeah?” 

“I love you.” She watched as her husband unpacked his clothes, though their dresser wouldn’t be arriving until later. He paused for a moment, then he approached Moira and gently took her face in his hands, “I love you, too.” He kissed her forehead. Moira’s lips curled into a smile. 

“I barely see you anymore, Moira. Why won’t you answer my calls?” Johnny asked, absent-mindedly stirring his coffee. 

“Clifton and I busy, John. You must understand that we have to juggle a crowded work schedule and a homelife.” 

“When I got married, I still made time to see you, I still made time to return your calls,” John argued, sounding calm and collected as always, “And what’s all this ‘we’, it’s not like you and Clifton are one being. You _can_ do things without him, you know.” 

Moira didn’t give a reply. 

Johnny sighed. Then changed the subject, “Why wasn’t I invited to your wedding?” 

The question had caught Moira off-guard. She had been expecting him to bring up why he hadn’t been invited; but she wished he wouldn’t have, “I wasn’t in charge of the guest list. I told them to put your name down, but obviously they didn’t.” she shrugged. 

Johnny wasn’t buying a single word, “Clifton was the one who didn’t want me to be invited, wasn’t he?” 

“No,” Moira protested – knowing that the man sitting before her was indeed correct, “I told you what happened; they just forgot to put your name on the guest list, that’s all.” 

“Moira, I get a bad feeling from him.” 

“Don’t be silly, John.” 

“No, really, Moira. His demeanour is...” Johnny paused to find a good descriptor, “unpleasant.” 

“You just don’t know him like I do. He comes off as cold, but he’s really quite a sweetheart.” 

Johnny wasn’t sure if he believed that. The atmosphere had become somewhat unpleasant itself, “Anyway, how are things with you?” 

“Good,” Moira nodded, “Yes... Everything’s good.” She said again, as if to convince herself this time. 

Johnny waited for her to say something else, “You’re not going to give me any details? Do I have to pry?” 

“Nothing very eventful has occurred recently for me to make you aware of, John.” 

“I thought you said you were busy?” Johnny took a drink of his coffee. 

Moira’s face went blank, “Well... Yes, I am, but I don’t want to bore you with the minutiae of my life. How are things with you?” 

“Very good, actually,” Johnny perked up, “Miranda’s pregnant.” 

Moira’s heart jumped into her mouth. 

“We found out last week that it’s twins; a boy and a girl. Isn’t that wonderful?” Johnny grinned from ear to ear. 

Moira faked sincerity, “Yes, that’s wonderful, John. I’m so happy for you.” 

As soon as Moira entered her home, Clifton came into the hallway. 

“Where were you?” 

“With a friend.” 

Clifton scoffed, “You don’t have friends.” 

“Yes I do.” Moira replied under the breath as she set her keys on the hallway table. 

Clifton took a swill of his drink, “Were you with that Rose moron?” 

“He’s not a moron. And yes, I was with him. We got lunch.” 

Clifton leaned up against a door frame, “I told you, I don’t want you speaking to him anymore.” 

“I know,” Moira spoke apprehensively, “It’s just that I haven’t seen him since our double date. And I miss him."

"You don't need to see him, Miffy," Clifton's voice softened, "You have me; I'm the only person you need, alright?"

Moira nodded.

Clifton went over to his wife, he kissed her, "I love you." he smiled.

"I love you, too."


	7. Fame, Money & Moira

“There you are Moira,” Tippy rushed up to Sunrise Bay’s brightest star, “Where the hell were you? We’ve been waiting two goddamn hours.”

Moira briskly made her way to her  dressing room; she was wearing large sunglasses and a fur overcoat – a gift from Clifton for her 27 th birthday, “Oh my dear Tippy,  Gord What’s-His-Names death took a heavy toll on me last night. I couldn’t sleep a wink.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Moira.” Tippy said as Moira entered her dressing room – champagne on her desk, at her request. She popped the bottle open, turning to Tippy, she asked, “Want some?”

“It’s nine o’clock in the goddamn morning, no I do not want some.”

Moira shrugged and poured herself a glass.

“You better be ready in ten minutes or the director’s  gonna lose his shit.” Mr Bernstein pointed at Moira. She rolled her eyes, “I’m serious, Moira. You can’t continue doing this; coming into work late, coming into work  _ drunk _ , fucking up your lines, giving hell to the crew when they do something you don’t deem fit.”

“What are you going to do? Fire me?” Moira chuckled, “I’m this show’s biggest star – without me, Sunrise Bay would be nothing.” She removed her sunglasses. Tippy was taken aback.

“Jesus Christ, what happened to your eye?” 

Moira studied herself in the mirror, “It’s nothing you should be concerning yourself about.”

Tippy didn’t enquire further, “Be ready soon. And I hope to God you remember your lines.”

Between shooting her scenes, Moira and one of her co-stars sneaked into Moira’s dressing room and  indulged in drug-taking. Most of her days on set were now spent in her dressing room, getting drunk or doing lines; and when she was filming, she could hardly recall what Vivian was supposed to say. Everyone was getting tired of her behaviour; many episodes had to be postponed because of her flat-out refusal to show up to work. 

Over the last two years, Moira felt like her life was spiralling out of control. She felt like  _ she  _ was spiralling out of control. When she wasn’t at work, she was partying hard at some drug-filled club; and when she wasn’t partying, she was at home, with Clifton. Alcohol had completely consumed Mr Sparks' life. He was constantly enraged. And he took that rage out on Moira. One day he’d be drunkenly attacking her, then the next day when he sobered up, he’d bring her flowers and say, “It wasn’t me; it was the alcohol. Do you still love me, Muffy?”, and Moira would reply with, “Of course I do, Cliffy.” then the cycle would repeat itself. Moira continued to adore Clifton; despite all the awful things he did to her. The more one hears something, the more one begins to believe it; and this was completely true with the things that Clifton repeated over and over again to Moira, he had successfully convinced her that he was the only person that loved her. Clifton had a controlling personality, even without the alcohol. He derived great pleasure from governing every aspect of Moira’s life. He was out for fame, money, and Moira; and he’d do anything to get and keep them forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow an author's note! 
> 
> I feel like this chapter is waaaaaaaaaay better than the previous ones???? I don't know, there's just something about it... I feel like we're really getting into the meat of the story; like the previous chapter's were the build-up and now this is, like, the main course?
> 
> Anyway I'm sorry for how heavy this story is, I've gotta write some wholesome Johnny and Moira fanfic after I finish this to make it up to you all lol. 
> 
> P.S. I don't know why I'm portraying Clifton as such a dick, poor Moira... maybe this is turning into a vent story lmao WhEn YoU PrOjEcT YoUr fEeLinGS AnD TrAUmA oNto A chARactER BecAUsE YoU DoNT hAVE aNY HeALThy cOPinG MeCHanIsMS :{ as soon as I began watching Schitt's Creek, I felt an attachment to Moira; we go through the same kind of things, mentally,,, y'know. So perhaps that's why I feel so comfortable* with writing her in situations that I'm familiar with?
> 
> *that's not the right word to describe it, but I'm sure you get what I mean.
> 
> dang okay that really turned into a vent post ok :/ sorry about that. New chapter coming soon!


	8. ~ Author's Note ~

Hi! I just wanted to inform you all that some very bad things have happened in my life lately, and my mental health has taken a huge dip; so, I might take a hiatus from this story. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. Thank you for reading this story up until now; I know it hasn't been the happiest of tales, but I still have some ideas for what could happen in Moira's life (and not all of them are tragic). I hope you'll stick around for when I return; but if you choose not to, I completely understand. 

Best wishes, warmest regards, 

~ J.L. 


End file.
